IF THE countdown to your beach body is perilously climbing into minus figures and the only option is a drastic one, read on.

With some complicated mathematics, the good people at online car repair shop ClickMechanic have worked out that driving a car can be just as calorie burning as, well, running.

Co-founder Andrew Jervis said: “We’re all aware of how physically fit professional racing car drivers have to be to endure the g-forces on a track for long periods of time.

“Although it’s not as intense, everyday drivers also face these forces on the road and will inevitably burn calories while travelling.

“It’s interesting to see just how far you would need to drive to burn the equivalent calories to a workout – if you drive long-distance on a daily basis, you may be burning more than you think.”

This could go some way to explaining the constant temptation to pull into every motorway services you pass.

The message is one of forget the commando-style attack on food and fitness over the next few weeks – and just drive.

We at Road Record have not yet tried this approach but would be interested to hear from any reader who gets their body swimsuit fit by using this alternative method of fighting the flab.

Here are the stats from ClickMechanic , who say their research on calories burned was conducted last month using Fitday.com and Travelmath.com and the calorie research for each product was taken from the brand’s own nutritional info or from www.nhs.uk

One Hour of Dancing = Driving from Inverness to Ayr

Based on general dancing (sadly not as intense as that featured in Dirty Dancing), the average man burns 245 calories per hour compared with 200 calories per hour for a woman.

That’s the equivalent of three and a half hours of driving, or from Inverness to Ayr.

This drive would excuse you four Tesco Custard Cream Biscuits or, for a healthier option, five apples.

Sadly, to match the calories burned in the final scene of Dirty Dancing, you may have to drive a little further.

One Hour of General Running = Driving from Edinburgh to London

Running for one hour burns an average of 490 calories for a man and 400 calories per hour for a woman. That’s the equivalent of seven hours of driving, or, in terms of travelling in the UK, driving from Edinburgh to London.

This may seem like a long distance but Forrest Gump would still choose to run it. However, it is a decent number of calories lost at the wheel and would technically excuse an extra five bananas or just under two burgers from McDonald’s. And that’s not even counting the time spent in traffic.

One Hour of Yoga = Driving from Dundee to Carlisle

While having a reputation for relaxation, yoga does take a fair amount of energy to perform.

The average man will burn 210 calories per hour, while women will burn 171 calories. This is equal to a three-hour drive in the car, such as from Dundee to Carlisle.

Three hours at the wheel may seem like a long time but, for some, it can be achieved on the daily commute.

It would excuse an extra Grande Cafè Latte from Starbucks or a Cadbury Crunchie Bar. Just remember to stretch.

One Hour of Playing Tennis = Driving from Glasgow to Oxford

Burning an average of 420 calories per hour for a man and 343 calories per hour for a woman, tennis is a fairly rigorous workout – just ask Andy Murray.

You would have to drive for six hours, or the distance between Glasgow and Oxford, to use up the same amount of energy.

It’s the equivalent of more than three glasses of red wine or roughly two Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnuts. No wonder John Isner once said he could have “eaten 12 Big Macs” after the longest recorded tennis match.

One Hour of Swimming = Driving from Aberdeen to Middlesbrough

In one hour of swimming, the average man will burn 350 calories, whereas a woman will burn 286 calories.

To clock as many on the road, you would need to drive from Aberdeen to Middlesbrough and build up a total of five hours behind the wheel.

Such a drive would burn through two and a half cans of Coca Cola or roughly 10 carrots – so your hunger is not unfounded as you pass those services.